'Special': Danny Wake, three, was killed in a suspected hit-and-run yesterday in Darlington

A three-year-old who was killed in a suspected hit and run was a 'very special' boy with a 'cheeky little smile', his family said today.

Danny Wake, from the Lascelles Park area in Darlington, County Durham, was out walking with his mother and two siblings in the town when he was hit by a vehicle.

Describing him as 'a loving and caring little boy', Danny’s family said they do not have the words to describe how much they will miss him.

They said: 'Danny was a beautiful, loving
and caring little boy, always laughing with a cheeky little smile.

'He
had lots of friends and was adored by his little brother Georgie.

'We just can’t find words to describe how much our very special boy will be missed by all of the family.'

Yesterday
police arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of causing death by
dangerous driving and he remains in custody assisting them with their
inquiries.

The incident took place at approximately 10.35am yesterday at the junction of
Neasham Road and Falmer Road, which is in the centre of Darlington near
the railway station.

The boy was taken to
Darlington Memorial Hospital by ambulance crews.

Superintendent Kevin Weir,
leading the investigation for Durham Constabulary, said: 'This is a
tragic incident and we have set up an incident room at Bishop Auckland
police station to co-ordinate our enquiries and detectives from the
force’s major crime team and road policing unit are assisting the
investigation.'

Scroll Down for Video

Investigation: A local man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after the crash but police now believe he is unconnected with the incident

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

Share

Another read: 'RIP Little Danny, Love Paul, Minnie. XXX.'

One card read: 'So sad. Such a horrible thing to happen. Thinking of you at this sad time. Lots of Love Kelly, Bri and Liam.'

Tamsin
Borlase, a market gardener from Henley-on-Thames, said on Twitter: 'My
lovely, lovely home help is grandmother to the little boy in Darlington
that was killed this pm [afternoon]. So utterly awful.'

Police cordon: The boy was walking with his family when they turned into a road and the collision occurred

Dozens of Facebook users left comments on the page of Durham Constabulary following the news.

Melanie Abbott from Durham said: 'So sad,
another tragic incident this close to Christmas - poor family ripped
apart by such a sad loss.'

And Allison Lowe from Darlington added: 'Thinking of everyone involved in today's tragedy, including the emergency services.'